Marketing your brand online and communicating with stakeholders via the internet is a process that is becoming the norm as customers move away from traditional media to online channels. Marketing specialist Mike Sharman talks about how to market your business to a tech savvy client base.

“Between 12 and 13 million people in Africa have internet access while 4.8 million South Africans are currently members of Facebook”, says Sharman. The number of users is growing rapidly. This means that as a marketing professional you can no longer ignore the online market. “Those who don’t understand the principles of online marketing are going to suffer in the long run,” warns Sharman.

“Marketing and communication is there to support the business objectives”, asserts Sharman. This means that the first step in developing a successful marketing strategy is to establish the key objectives of the business and then design a strategy that will achieve and support those objectives.

Social media marketing should not be seen as the be all and end all of strategic communication but rather be viewed as a tactical element which forms part of the broader marketing mix, according to Sharman.

The Social Media Marketing Strategy Course hosted by Alusani Skills & Training Network is an ideal opportunity for marketing professionals who want to unleash their marketing potential for an explosion of results.

According to Sharman “there are no specific rules and no right way to conduct your online approach”. Because the industry is dynamic, everyday new techniques and new technologies are presented. Sharman says that the nature of the industry allows for creativity and new ways of getting the message across.

During the Alusani marketing course, Mike Sharman together with co-presenter Melissa Attree discuss different social media platforms, communication channels and online campaigns. The idea is to share information as opposed to providing a model for others to copy.

Often the first step to launching a marketing strategy starts with “listening to users for a year without contributing”, advises Sharman. This will give those involved with social media time to adjust and familiarise themselves with the various communication platforms.

“It will also provide an opportunity to assess the different styles of communication and develop a personal style that is suitable to the business.”

Fear is one of the biggest barriers to participating in social media, but Sharman encourages first timer users to get acquainted with internet jargon and do their research on social media to understand the basic rules of engagement.

He suggests websites like mashable.com and meneburn.com as a good place to start. LinkedIn is another great social media site where “you can learn from others”. Training courses such as the Social Media course hosted by Alusani Skills & Training Network offer fantastic platforms for people in the media and digital environments to share their experiences.

According to Sharman a common misconception among online marketers is the idea of “need-to solutions”. This concept refers to businesses that study the marketing practices of competitors and attempt to adopt similar techniques. “They believe they need to do something because others are doing it”. This defeats the purpose of creating a unique strategy that suits the needs of the business. While certain ideas might seem profitable, businesses must be realistic and ensure that the idea will really add value to the company.

Ideally a marketing strategy complements popular or current themes. Every company should have a three to six month marketing plan as “social media is not like a tap that you can turn on and off” ,warns Mike. This means that you must conduct your research thoroughly, build a strategy and know your way around the online network before attempting to carve your spot in the global village.

The 2-day Social Media Marketing Strategy Course by Alusani Skills & Training Network will teach you absolutely everything you need to know about how to develop, create and implement a highly-targeted Social Media strategy that fits your brand.

For more information, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text55517 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit Alusani Skills & Training Network

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